Ex-F1 Driver Believes Toto Wolff Is Not Sleeping Well as Ferrari and Mercedes Are in the Same Boat – “It Is Also About His Own Money”

Sabyasachi Biswas | 15/11/2023
Ex-F1 Driver Believes Toto Wolff Is Not Sleeping Well as Ferrari and Mercedes Are in the Same Boat - “It Is Also About His Own Money”

Hans-Joachim Stuck recently opened up about Toto Wolff’s situation amid the Constructors’ championship battle between Mercedes and Ferrari. The former F1 driver thinks that the Mercedes boss is finding it tough to sleep as his championship rivals are in the same boat. He also believes that the involvement of money makes the situation more critical for Wolff.

Speaking about this as per F1 Maximal, Stuck stated on Wolff, “If you know Toto Wolff well, you know that he certainly doesn’t sleep well because he simply has to perform. That’s not just because he represents Mercedes. He is also a shareholder, so it is also about his own money.”

Admittedly, the Austrian boss owns one-third of Mercedes’ F1 team. Therefore, for any profit or loss his team makes, Toto Wolff has a direct connection with it and has taken a cut in income despite a formidable profit percentage. Along with this, Stuck also revealed that Mercedes and Ferrari being in the same boat is a cause of concern for him.

“Ferrari and Mercedes are in the same boat. Being second and third is not good enough, Mercedes must win again,” the German former driver also added. The Silver Arrows are in a mega slump following the 2021 F1 season, while the Prancing Horse have been winless since 2008.

How does Mercedes fare against Ferrari coming into 2023?

This is the second successive season when Mercedes are in direct conflict with Ferrari for P2 in the Constructors’ championship. It is a continuation of the 2022 F1 season when the Italian team had the upper hand because of their mega start to their season.

After the first few races, the Maranello-based team lost their mojo and got overtaken by Red Bull. They have been trying their best to make a comeback ever since. Unfortunately, they took a step back, and dropped down in the standings.

Red Bull ended Mercedes’ streak of eight back-to-back constructors’ championship wins when they sealed the win last year. From there on, Wolff’s team has been trying to topple Christian Horner’s team in the championship.

As things stand, the Silver Arrows have a 20-point cushion over the Prancing Horse. If Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz might pull off stunners by learning from McLaren, the prestigious place might end up with Fred Vasseur’s team who are in dire need of it. However, Hans-Joachim Stuck thinks both Ferrari and Mercedes need to win to keep their legacy intact.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
carlos sainz Charles Leclerc Christian Horner Fred Vasseur Hans-Joachim Stuck Toto Wolff

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Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

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